How Movement Unlocks Learning #144

What if the key to better learning — for you and for your animals — was already built into the nervous system?

In this episode, Mary explores neuroplasticity: the nervous system's remarkable capacity to adapt, reorganize, and discover new possibilities. Drawing on the foundational work of Dr. Moshe Feldenkrais, Mary shares why movement is considered the first language of the brain, and why that insight applies not just to humans, but to horses, dogs, and other animals as well.

Mary explains how introducing non-habitual, intentional movements can do more than improve physical comfort. They seem to open a door, making it easier for animals to learn new movement patterns, connect more fully with their handlers, and respond with greater ease and willingness.

This is neuroplasticity in action: not forcing change, but creating the conditions in which the nervous system can reorganize naturally. Whether you are working with a horse recovering from injury, a dog with anxious movement patterns, or your own habitual ways of holding yourself, this episode offers a perspective on how movement-based learning works. And why it matters.

Resources:

Grab your FREE video training to help your dog. 🐕 https://www.marydebono.com/lovedog 💥

💥Learn how the Feldenkrais MethodⓇ can help improve your seat, position, and balance on your horse! Free rider videos masterclass: https://www.marydebono.com/rider 💥

Get Mary’s bestselling, award-winning book, “Grow Young with Your Dog,” for a super low price at: https://tinyurl.com/growyoungwithyourdog. Demonstration videos are included at no extra cost. ⬅️⬅️⬅️

All information is for general educational purposes ONLY and doesn't constitute medical or veterinary advice or professional training advice. Please consult a qualified healthcare provider if you, your horse, or your dog are unwell or injured.  Always use extreme caution when interacting with horses and dogs.

About the Host:

Mary Debono is a pioneer in animal and human wellness, blending her expertise as an international clinician, best-selling author, and certified Feldenkrais Method® practitioner. With over three decades of experience, Mary developed Debono Moves, a groundbreaking approach that enhances the performance, well-being, and partnership of animals and their humans.

Mary's innovative approach draws from the Feldenkrais Method®, tailored specifically for horse and dog enthusiasts.  Her methods have helped animals and humans:

• Improve athletic ability and performance
• Enhance confidence and reduce anxiety
• Reduce physical limitations and discomfort
• Deepen the human-animal bond

Mary's flagship online programs, "Move with Your Horse" and "Easier Movement, Happier Dogs," provide animal enthusiasts with an innovative approach that combines the concepts of Feldenkrais® with her signature hands-on work for horses and dogs (Debono Moves). Through this transformative approach, both people and their animal companions discover greater harmony, ease, and connection.

TRANSCRIPT:

Wouldn't it be great if we could get better at learning, if we could learn in a way that's super enjoyable and that the learning really sticks with us? And the same thing for your horse or your dog, that they can learn with you more easily. So if you're teaching them certain behaviors, you know, you're training them in a specific way, wouldn't it be great if they got better at learning with you?

Well, you have this ability. There is something called neuroplasticity, which we have. Your horse has it, your dog has it. And that's, simply put, the ability of the nervous system to adapt to changes in the environment. Okay. The nervous system is incredibly malleable. It's plastic, if you will. It's changeable, it's moldable. And this can be so helpful for so many things. I mean, I've talked before and I've written about dogs I've worked with, for example, that were paralyzed on one side and how I help them regain complete function in their body.

That's neuroplasticity at work. But it's also at work at other times. You know, listening to this podcast, you're having changes in your nervous system, right? And. But we can harness it. We can get. Be very intentional about using it to benefit us and our animals. So one of the things that Dr. Moshe Feldenkrais, the man who created the Feldenkrais method, he talked about was that movement is the first language of the brain.

Now, he was speaking about humans. However, I'd like to say that that applies to other animals as well. Okay? Your horses, your dogs, et cetera, your cats. And I have found over the years, and I've been doing this work for, oh, I think it's over 35 years now, is that when you introduce novel, non habitual, very intentional movements like sensations through the body, that it enhances the animal's ability to learn.

They can learn how to move more freely, they can learn how to be more comfortable, all that good stuff. But it also seems to have an effect beyond that, that it's not just about the movement, but it's about kind of opening a door so they can learn more easily, they can connect with you more fully, and it's such a wonderful tool to use. And same with ourselves is that when we do things like Feldenkrais awareness through movement lessons, like I teach again, yes, you feel better.

You feel better in your body, you feel better in your mind. And I found this personally and many other people have told me the same thing, that suddenly you Feel more creative. Like, it's sort of like, you know, your windows got cleaned, if you will. Like, you see more. You can experience life differently because you're not so stuck in your old physical habits, your own patterns of how you hold yourself.

For example, I remember I worked with this gentleman. He came for a private session with me, and, you know, he had things that a lot of people deal with. He was in his early 40s. He was. His. His posture. You know, his wife used to complain that his posture was bad. He was kind of bent over. He had a desk job, a computer job, and he was, you know, kind of had that head forward, rounded upper back posture.

And, you know, he had aches and pains and all kinds of things like that. And what I helped him with was I helped him actually get really, really good at rounding. Like, I helped him feel how he could even do that better. And when he stood up, he was completely straight. There was no force involved. He wasn't trying to stand up straight, which is what he had been doing.

And what was so cool was after he left my office, he walked out to his car, and he told me this. A little while later, he could hear the birds differently. He noticed that his line of sight was different. Like, everything changed. He said his whole. All his senses seemed to be more alive. And we can do this for ourselves and we can do this for our animals.

So it's engaging with the nervous system in this way where we're saying, you know, notice what this feels like. Maybe we can do things a little bit differently now. Right. It's kind of helping unlock habitual patterns. And again, as Dr. Feldenkrais said, movement is the first language of the brain. So being, you know, helping your horse, your dog and yourself move more freely can open up so many new possibilities for you, for you personally, and for you and your animals together.

So take note of the free resources. They're in the show notes wherever you're listening or watching this. And. Yeah, and thank you so much for listening, and I look forward to talking to you again soon. Bye for now.